The contract between Vancouver Clinic and Medicaid insurance provider Wellpoint will expire Sept. 1.
Patients currently covered by Wellpoint can still receive care at Vancouver Clinic if they switch to Molina Healthcare, the only other insurance plan the clinic accepts under the state’s Medicaid insurance, Apple Health.
Vancouver Clinic has chosen not to renew its contract with Wellpoint due to issues with payments and denials of insurance claims, spokeswoman Kelly Love said in an email Friday.
“As part of our outreach, we have provided patients with the contact information for the Washington Health Care Authority so they can look at their options,” Love said. “It is our understanding that AmeriGroup/Wellpoint has sent notices to their members about the change in coverage.”
Vancouver Clinic currently offers primary, specialty and ancillary care to more than 22,320 Medicaid patients — 10.5 percent of its total patient population. Of those patients, 1,100 are covered by Wellpoint, which was previously called Amerigroup.
Washington Apple Health is an umbrella term for all of the state’s government medical assistance programs, including Medicaid. Apple Health provides primary care, preventive care, mental health treatment, screenings and many other health care services for low-income residents.
In 2014, Vancouver Clinic began scaling back the Medicaid services it provides to Clark County residents. At the time, the current Medicaid reimbursement rate for an office visit covered about 40 percent of the cost of services, according to Columbian archives.
However, Vancouver Clinic’s decision to end the contract with Wellpoint is separate and not a continuation of this earlier reduction in Medicaid services, Love said.
Love said the clinic cannot disclose current contractual numbers for Medicaid reimbursement rates.
“They’re based on a complicated formula set by the government. Cuts to the Medicare provider fee schedule over the last 15 years have resulted in decreased compensation while inflation continues to push costs higher,” Love said. “Similar to 2014, Medicaid reimbursement does not cover the cost of the services we provide.”
Patients who transition to Molina Healthcare before prior scheduled appointments should have no interruption of services.
“We are reaching out to patients ahead of appointments to help guide them through the process,” Love said.
Vancouver Clinic is one of Clark County’s largest health care providers, with about 500 clinicians and 2,100 employees in Southwest Washington.
